President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed he has a good relationship with the National Football League after the tension in the last few years, which was the result of his slamming football players for taking a knee during the National Anthem.

Trump said that's all in the past now and they 'have a very good relationship.'

'I was just one that felt very important, you can't be kneeling for the national anthem. You have to respect our flag and our country. I want that as president and I'd want that as a citizen. And I have a very good relationship,' he told CBS' 'Face the Nation.'

President Donald Trump claimed he has a good relationship with the National Football League after tension from players taking the knee

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium exterior before Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams

Very few players took the knee during 'The Star Spangled Banner' this season and ratings are up this year, which the president noted.

'They haven't been kneeling and they have been respecting the flag and their ratings have been terrific ever since. And a lot of good things happened,' Trump told CBS, which is broadcasting Super Bowl LIII Sunday night.

Last year Trump disinvited the reigning Super Bowl champions the Philadelphia Eagles from the White House because of the controversy surrounding the players' actions during 'The Star Spangled Banner' even though no Eagle players had kneeled. Several of them said they would not attend the White House event, however, in solidarity with their fellow players.

The president also used the kneeling issue at campaign rallies to gin up the crowd and throw red meat to his political supporters.

At a September 2017 rally in Alabama, he said it would be nice if owners said to their kneeling players: 'Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out.'

But Trump on Sunday claimed relations had calmed down between him and the National Football League.

And he claimed his actions during trade negotiations won him the praise of NFL owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell, helping ease the tension between them.

Trump pushed Canadian officials to renew a rule that required Canadian ad to be broadcast in Canada during the Super Bowl, even if the game feed was on an American station instead of a Canadian one, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Some Canadians would rather watch the American commercials because of their popularity.

The president made the move after receiving call from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, The Times reported.

Trump told CBS he talked to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about it during trade negotiations.

'I did them a big favor in negotiating the USMCA, which is basically the replacement to NAFTA,' Trump said of the NFL.

'I said to Canada, look we have a great American company known as the NFL, and they were being hurt and treated unfairly, the NFL, by Canada for a long time. And I said to Prime Minister Trudeau, who was very nice about it and really understood it, I hope you can settle the difference immediately and fast. And they did. So I did the NFL a big favor, as a great American company and they appreciated it,' he noted.

He added: 'Roger Goodell called me and he thanked me. And I appreciated that.'

The controversy over NFL players kneeling in began in in 2016 when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick took the knee during the national anthem to draw attention to police brutality.

CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan asked the president if he was sensitive as to why players were keeling and if he thought they had a point in highlighting police violence against African Americans.

Trump pointed to the recently passed criminal justice reform law in response.

'I'm the one that had passed judicial reform. And if you look at what I did, criminal judicial reform, and what I've done - President Obama tried. They all tried. Everybody wanted to do it. And I got it done and I've been, you know, really- a lot of people in the NFL have been calling and thanking me for it.'

The law reduced mandatory minimum sentences for low-level drug offenders, eliminated 'three-strike' provisions that require life sentences and gave judges more latitude to reduce sentences for some low-level crimes. The NFL had endorsed the legislation.

Eric Reid (left) and Colin Kaepernick (right) of the San Francisco 49ers kneel during the anthem in September 2016

Tom Brady of the New England Patriots at Super Bowl LIII practice session on on Friday

President Trump told CBS News NFL owners praised him for passing criminal justice reform and helping out the league during trade negotiations with Canada

Brennan also asked the president about a CBS News poll that showed 63 percent of Americans said they disapproved of his handling of race issues.

The president has been heavily criticized for his handling of race relations, particularly the white supremacist march in Charlottesville in 2017 where he said both sides were to blame for the violence.

Trump pointed to strong job numbers for minorities in his defense.

'Our employment numbers are phenomenal, the best in over 50 years. So I think I've been given a lot of credit for that. And in terms of race, a lot of people are saying well this is something very special what's happening,' he noted.

He added of African Americans: 'I think they like me a lot and I like them a lot.'

A CBS News poll out last month showed 57 percent said race relations in the U.S. are generally bad with 73 percent of blacks saying they were 'generally bad,' along with 54 percent of whites.